The current facilities of the Coloane Prison, operated by the Correctional Services Bureau (DSC), will be returned to the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) government’s possession as soon as the relocation to the new prison at Ka Ho is completed, the DSC told the Times.
“The current prison will be returned to the Macau SAR government once it is moved to the new prison upon its completion,” DSC said in response to an inquiry from the Times.
According to information provided by the Urban Master Plan 2020-2040, the area where the Coloane Prison is currently located is designated for “Collective Use Facilities,” which indicates that the facility could later be used by another public service for a different purpose. Nonetheless, there is no reference in the Plan as to the new location of the prison at Ka Ho. This could indicate that the mention of “Collective Use Facilities” with respect to the Coloane Prison could be a reference to the existing prison facility, given there is no mention of the new purpose to be attributed to the old facility or the land plot.
The construction of the new prison facility has been ongoing for several years and is due to be completed by the middle of this year. Upon completion, the next stage will be initiated, comprising relocation and testing of the facilities and equipment that is estimated to take between 12 and 18 months, the government said in response to a recent inquiry from the Committee for Public Finance Affairs of the Legislative Assembly.
According to the same reply, the new prison facility in Ka Ho will open in 2024 after all relocation procedures are concluded.
According to the latest report from the Public Works Bureau (DSOP) dated February 16, the new prison construction project (Phase 3) is currently approaching the budgeted amount of around 740 million patacas and has already exceeded the initial deadline for conclusion (693 working days) by 39.3%, that is, almost 40% more than expected. This percentage will continue to grow over the coming months until the completion of works.
The third phase of work occupies a construction area of around 38,108 square meters and includes the construction of the administrative buildings of the new prison, which will comprise four building blocks and a car park with two basement floors.
According to a survey from the construction supervision authorities, the construction has suffered from delays attributed to the impacts of the pandemic, totaling 136 working days between 2020 to January 2023. Still, such delays only account for a fraction of the total delay duration that also extends to the second phase of the construction.
Construction of the new prison started in August 2010 and after several delays, the project entered its third (and final) phase in June 2019. It was expected to conclude in 2021.
